Phil Sellers, appeared broadly as the best basketball participant in Rutgers historical past, died Wednesday at age 69. A family statement to NJ.com printed Sellers had suffered a stroke in August after a chain of clinical setbacks left him in a rehabilitation heart.
Rutgers’ all-time leader in issues (2,399) and rebounds (1,111), Sellers was once the cornerstone in the back of the program’s one and only Final Four run in 1976. The All-American, whose jersey was once retired in 1988, just about averaged a double-double (21 ppg, 9.7 rpg) for his profession.
“Phil was the catalyst in our great recruiting class that played a vital factor in Rutgers having fantastic success in the 1970s that led us all the way to the Final Four,” said Dick Vitale, a former Rutgers assistant with Sellers. “Once we were able to get Phil, we were able to get the best player in New Jersey Mike Dabney. Phil was such a fierce competitor, and he was dominant inside and outside. I am so sad to learn of his passing. To me, he is the greatest player in Rutgers hoops history.”
Sellers’ profession achievements are fiercely intertwined with what’s Rutgers’ best possible generation in school hoops — and with Vitale. The Scarlet Knights reached the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years (1975, ’76) with the latter’s Final Four run fueled by means of a 31-0 get started that in the long run earned a No. 4 score in the general AP Top 25. As a sophomore, Sellers shot just about 45% from the sector with 23.2 ppg for an NIT-bound crew.
“Phil Sellers was Rutgers royalty,” Rutgers trainer Steve Pikiell said in a statement. “He was the greatest player on the greatest team in our program’s history. I have had the honor of getting to know Phil over the last few years and was honored to be in his presence whenever he came to our games. He was the ultimate role model for our current Scarlet Knights.”
Sellers was once taken by means of the Detroit Pistons in the 3rd spherical of the 1976 NBA Draft and performed only one season ahead of taking part in in another country and in the end retiring. He returned to his alma mater to be an assistant trainer for 4 seasons in the Nineteen Eighties.